Book Ten: The Second War
by Evil Scrapbooker
Summary: Ten months after defeating the Scarlet Hand in the Everafter War, members of the Grimm family begin having strange dreams regarding their old enemies. Has the Scarlet Hand really been stomped out, or is this just the eye of the storm? Discontinued/ hiatus. Up for adoption.
1. Chapter 1: Nightmares

**Ok guys, I apologize for the lack of literary works in the past year or so. I forgot my password, and a bunch of other stuff happened. But I'm back now, and I hope my writing has improved since my first story. This takes place ten months after they defeat the Scarlet Hand (which I'm assuming will happen in book 9). Sabrina and Puck are thirteen, Daphne is eight (almost nine), Red is nine, and Basil is two. Briar is alive, because I'm hoping she'll be brought back in book 9, and she and Jake have a newborn daughter, Relda, or Ellie. Oh, and the first chapter is kind of a prologue, so it's short. The rest will be at least twice as long.  
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** ~ Evil Scrapbooker**

Chapter 1: Nightmares

_Her midnight blue eyeshadow crept up her forehead to her hairline. Her lips were the color of a maraschino cherry. Her poorly dyed purplish-red hair was in ridiculous beehive hairstyle, swept up so high above her head it looked as though it was trying to take flight and escape the magenta cheek narrow eyes, and squished-up nose that passed themselves off as human features._

_ Well, not quite human, per se . . . _

_ Sabrina found herself face to face with the Queen of Hearts. She shrieked and ran out from underneath her underbrush hideout, dodging trees and bushes through blurry tears._

_ Then she was plummeting to the ground, her heart pounding with fear. She seemed to hit in slow motion, her leg twisting the wrong way, her arms instantly bloody from landing in a pile of sharp sticks. Surprisingly, she felt no pain. Only indescribable terror. She begged her body to get up and run, to flee the unspeakable horrors that were closing in on her fast._

_ She raised her misty eyes, and attempted to run again, but her body refused to obey. She screamed at the sight of the fast-approaching monsters on her tail. Some of them were to be expected – Nottingham, Heart, the Beast – but her heart ached at the sight of the ones leading the pack. Her little brother was in front, gray smoke curling from his delicate fingertips, ready to grab her and steal her consciousness. He got closer and closer, his arms outstretched as if he wanted a hug, his whole body reduced to shadow, except for his red eyes and the glowing red handprint on his chest. Behind him was the entire Grimm family – Daphne, Puck, Henry, Veronica, Granny, Mr. Canis, Red, Elvis, Briar, Jake, and even their new baby, Relda, or Ellie, all of whom had become similar creatures of mere shadow.  
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_ She felt her heart physically tear in two pieces at the sight of her loved ones totally helpless, sentenced forever to do his bidding. She felt her blood stop flowing, her lungs stop drawing breath, her heart stop beating, and all of her organs slowly shutting down as they got closer and closer. In her last moment of consciousness, the smoke flowing from her little brother's hands reached out and touched her. It enveloped her body, seeping into her pores. Her hazy, half closed eyes locked on the red handprint on her brother's chest. It seemed to burn through her eyes and brand itself in her brain, eternal and unchanging, holding her captive in its gaze forever._

_ In the last second before the smoke completely engulfed her mind, she heard his voice, the voice that had haunted her dreams for a year now._

"_Starfish."_

**Please review. Constructive criticism encouraged. Heck, you can even flame me if you want. Flames are hilarious. I don't care. Just tell me what you think.**_  
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	2. Chapter 2: A Warning?

**Ok, so here I am with chapter 2! This one's a lot longer. Um . . . anyway . . **

**Special thanks to my reviewers: Lara D., me the ONE and ONLY ME hahaha, and PeterPansgirl**

**me the ONE and ONLY ME hahaha: Thanks, love you too! I couldn't resist the puppy dog face, so here's the next chapter. **

**EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA special thanks to my amazing beta, limegreenwordmachine, who you all can thank for making this thing somewhat readable. She's just awesome like that.**

**Oh yeah, and I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter . . . oops . . .well, I don't own the Sisters Grimm. There you go.  
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**~ Evil Scrapbooker**

Chapter 2: A Warning?

Sabrina woke up with a jolt. Sweat dripped down her face, stinging her eyes and uncomfortably sticking her long hair to the back of her neck. Her fists were filled with clumps of her twisted bed sheet, which she was gripping for dear life, and her t-shirt stuck to her back. It took her a few seconds to get her bearings and slow her tense breathing. She sat up in bed, pulling her hair up in a ponytail.

It was amazing, really, how many times she could have the same dream and still be absolutely terrified by it. This was what, the fifteenth time? Sixteenth? Did it even matter anymore?

Night after night, for the past few weeks, the same disturbing episode had replayed itself in her head. Morning after morning, she awoke to the same voice whispering in her ear.

_ What is wrong with me?_

She hadn't told anyone else in the family about these dreams. Aunt Briar had just given birth to Sabrina's new cousin, Relda, or Ellie, a few weeks ago, so there were enough distractions as it was. Besides, no one in the Grimm family needed to worry about her mental health more than they already did.

But this was getting a little out of control.

The nightly horror shows were taking their toll on her, she knew. Every day, her skin looked a little paler, her eyes a little more bloodshot. She'd been seeing things, too. She couldn't count the number of double takes she'd done, thinking she saw a scarlet handprint, or a pair of red eyes peering through a window when, in reality, there was nothing there. She had become increasingly paranoid, locking every door behind her, drawing curtains closed so no one could see in, grabbing her little brother at random times and making sure he wasn't red-eyed and made of gray smoke. She'd even picked up one of Granny's quirks, and snuck the Vorpal Blade up to her room. She kept it right next to her bed, just as Granny did with her samurai sword.

It was also because of this paranoia that, after accepting the fact that sleep was out of the question, Sabrina felt compelled to go check on her siblings. Her digital clock blinked 4:03, and she knew it would be at least a couple of hours before anyone else was up. She tiptoed into Daphne and Red's room, expecting to see the reassuring sight of the two happy girls sleeping peacefully, Daphne snoring like an elephant with a clogged trunk. But no.

Daphne was twisted up in her sheets, frowning and mumbling under her breath. She was soaked with sweat, and it looked like she'd been crying. For once, she wasn't snoring, but mumbling, kicking, and occasionally yelping.

She looked like . . . like she was having the kind of dream Sabrina had had.

All of a sudden, the little girl let out a shriek that made Sabrina jump. She burst into tears. "No! Out! Out!"

"Daphne!" Sabrina frantically shook her sister. "Wake up! You're dreaming!"

Daphne's eyes popped open, fear and confusion written all over her face.

The sisters stared at each other for a few seconds, taking everything in. Then Daphne whispered, "Sabrina, I . . . I had a nightmare."

"About what?" Sabrina asked, although she had a sneaking suspicion she already knew.

"Mirror." Daphne's voice faltered when she said his name. It had been so long since any of the Grimms had spoken of the Master. Ten, almost eleven, really, months had passed since that fateful day when Sabrina had blown Mirror out of Granny using the magical kazoo, returning him to his sanctuary, which she then smashed. Since his life force was tied to the mirror, he died when it was destroyed. And that was that. The Grimms did not mourn the loss of their former friend, nor did they rejoice in the defeat of their enemy. They repaired the damage (which took some time, magic, and a lot of forgetful dust), and rebuilt their house, this time adding a few more rooms for their ever-expanding family. They never really talked about the war anymore, and tried to carry on with life. To hear his name spoken out loud again made Sabrina's hair stand on end. There were so many memories wrapped up in that one word, memories she would prefer not to revisit. "He . . . he possessed me. I can't really explain it. It was . . . scarifying."

When Sabrina raised an eyebrow, she said, "You know, like scary and terrifying. Like, really, really scary and terrifying. Scarifying."

Sabrina couldn't help but smile, despite the circumstances. "I think scarifying's already a word . . ."

"Well too bad. My definition is better than whatever theirs is." The little girl attempted a smile, but Sabrina could tell she was still shaky from the dream. So Sabrina sat down on her bed and wrapped her in a hug, something she seemed to do less and less these days.

"Is this the first time you've had this dream?" Sabrina, although a tiny bit relieved that there was a chance that she wasn't insane (or if she was, then she wasn't alone), did _not _want her sister to have to go through the same pain she experienced every night.

"No, this is the third or fourth time I've had it. Why?" Daphne's wise brown eyes searched Sabrina's face. "Have you been having dreams, too?"

Sabrina swallowed and fixed her eyes on the window on the other side of the room, its purple curtains drawn shut. "Yes. The same kind as you. You know, running away, Mirror possesses me, etc."

Silence.

"So what do you think it means?"

Sabrina was taken aback. "What do you mean, what does it mean? It means we both need therapists!"

Daphne shook her head. "I don't think so. I don't know about your dreams, but mine always seems so . . . real. It doesn't really seem like a dream. More like a vision."

Sabrina continued to stare at the purple curtains. Now that she thought about it, the nightmare was more vivid than any dream she'd ever had before. "Or a hallucination."

"What's a _hallucer - hallu - "_

_ "_A hallucination is a delusion. It's when you see or hear something that's not really there. Crazy people usually have them."

"I'm pretty sure I'm not crazy, Sabrina."

Sabrina wasn't so sure. She had been questioning her own mental health lately, and her sister couldn't have been much better off than she was.

"Anyway, I think these dreams are warnings. Someone is sending us visions to warn us about something bad."

"What?"

"There are plenty of Everafters in this town that are powerful enough to mess with our dreams. I think someone is trying to warn us that something bad is going to happen. Something with Mirror."

"Mirror is dead. Gone. It's impossible." Even Sabrina heard the obvious doubt in her voice as she said these words.

"We've always assumed that, but what if we didn't really destroy him? How do we know he's gone? Someone could be sending us a warning that he's back, and we can't just ignore it!" Daphne's face was starting to assume an expression that Sabrina knew well, but hadn't seen in a long time. The little girl's brow was scrunched up, and her eyes were deep and calculating. There was a mystery to be solved, and Daphne Grimm was going to get to the bottom of it. Sabrina was, once again, stunned by her sister's perceptiveness.

"Well, what are we going to do about it? Go traipsing around Ferryport Landing asking everyone who has access to magic if they've been sending us dreams? Yeah, that totally won't land us both in straitjackets."

"I have a plan." Daphne looked up at her sister coolly. "I don't know if Mirror is alive or what, but I think I know who will."

"And who, pray tell, would this omniscient informant be?"

"What does – never mind. Well, it's not one person. But the ones who would know whether we really destroyed Mirror or not would be the ones closest to him, wouldn't they? If anyone knows anything about the Master, it's the Scarlet Hand."

I blinked. Daphne's ability to dissect a situation and come up with a theory and a course of action never ceased to amaze me. True, it may not have been the most accurate theory, or the best course of action, but it was better than the zilch I was offering. Still, though, I wasn't about to go running off half-cocked. Again. "'Cause the Scarlet Hand is just so eager to volunteer their mortal enemies their deepest, darkest secrets."

"It can't hurt to talk to them. You never know, they're pretty stupid. I bet we could get something out of them." The little girl stood up and started re-braiding her hair.

"What makes you think anyone would let us in to see the Scarlet Hand? Mom and Dad don't want us there, and Swineheart knows that." Swineheart had recently taken over the police department from Nottingham, while Boarman stayed with the contracting business. There was no way he would go against what Henry and Veronica's express wishes to keep their children away from the Hand members.

"That's why we're going now. C'mon, hurry and put some clothes on. We have to leave now if we wanna get back before anyone wakes up."

"Now?"

She practically shoved Sabrina out of the room. "Please. This could be our last chance. Whatever bad thing that's going to happen isn't going to sit around waiting for us to figure out what it is. I'm not letting anyone get hurt because we were too lazy to listen to a warning!"

Sabrina bit her lip. Well, when she put it that way . . .

Scarcely able to believe she was agreeing to this, Sabrina went back to her room and pulled on some sweatpants, a t-shirt, and a hoodie. She grabbed her backpack full of things one might need in an emergency, and was about to leave when she spotted the Vorpal Blade sitting next to her bed. Hm. There was no telling what they'd meet in the streets of Ferryport Landing at 4:15 in the morning. So she shoved it in her bag, and went to meet Daphne.

"Ready?" The little girl was now outfitted in an oversized black sweatshirt and dark jeans. She was carrying a backpack of her own, and with her hood up, she looked like a little ninja. She closed her door as quietly as she could so she wouldn't wake Red, who had happily slept through everything. "Alright then, let's go." Daphne marched downstairs, followed by a dumbfounded Sabrina. _When did she start calling the shots?_

As usual, the Queen of the Sneaks and her ninja partner in crime made it out of the house without waking anyone up. At least, so they thought.

They had just stepped out of the door when a voice behind them said, "Boo."

Being as paranoid as she was, Sabrina jumped, and before anyone could blink, the Vorpal Blade was at Puck's throat, threatening to end the life it had once saved. "Whoa! Easy, Grimm!"

Daphne, however, just smiled and said, "Aw, that's cute. So glad you could join us, Puck. We're off to have a little chat with some cold-blooded murderers." With that, the little girl dutifully began marching towards their destination on the other side of town.

Puck and Sabrina exchanged a look. _Who put her in charge?_ But neither of them were scrambling for the position, so they obediently followed her.

"Sneaking out again, Grimm? Good, it's been a while since we caused some trouble. Do I want to know what it's about this time?"

"We're going to break into jail and visit some insane murderers whose greatest goal in life is to see our entire family dead, because Daphne and I have been having dreams that the Master takes over our bodies and crushes our souls."

"Sounds like fun."

"Yup."

A few feet in front of them, Daphne had stopped to catch some of the millions of fireflies that populated Ferryport Landing at night. Sabrina had had a phobia of them ever since they had met the "fireflies" that covered them in nasty, bleeding bites their first night in Ferryport Landing. Apparently, Daphne wasn't at all emotionally scarred from that little episode. The little girl giggled loudly when one landed on her nose, all traces of her ninja-ness gone.

And for the hundredth time that night, Sabrina wondered if she was insane.

*/*/*

The Ferryport Landing Penitentiary and Police Department was about two miles away from the Grimm house, which translated to about forty-five minutes of walking. Sabrina suggested that Puck just fly them there, but Daphne deemed it too risky, even though Ferryport Landing still didn't inhabit any human families apart from the Grimms.

The jailhouse was just coming into view, when Sabrina spotted a tall man across the street, standing with his back to them. She couldn't see much of him in the dark, but she could tell that he wore an oversized sweater, a striped scarf, and an odd little beret. From the back, at least, he bore a slight resemblance to Gru from _Despicable Me, _except this man was much skinnier_._ There was something about his demeanor that seemed very familiar to Sabrina, and very sinister. She was getting bad vibes just from looking at him. Sabrina pulled her sister and Puck behind a nearby car, out of view of the strange man.

"What the –" Sabrina clamped a hand over Puck's mouth and watched as the man turned around and stepped into the light of a streetlight for a moment.

He wore small, round, tinted glasses, and his scarf was pulled up to conceal most of his face. All she could see of it was a long, thin nose, and the silhouette of his small, beady eyes. A greasy black ponytail stuck out from under his beret. Sabrina stifled a gasp. _No, it can't be. Nottingham is in jail._

She had just told herself this, when the man turned and caught his boot in a sidewalk crack. He didn't fall, but his glasses flew off his face and his scarf slipped several inches, revealing an ugly, jagged scar that ran down the lower left side of his face.

Daphne gasped loudly. The man turned to see what had made the noise, and judging from the dumbfounded look in his eyes, saw the three pairs of eyes peering out from behind the van and recognized their owners.

"You!" the man sputtered, his familiar accent sending all Sabrina's senses into automatic red-alert mode.

There was no doubt about it. Inexplicably, Nottingham was no longer in jail, but here, looking ready to murder them.


	3. Chapter 3: Empty?

**Yes, at long last, I am finished with chapter 3. :) I spent a good chunk of time on this. And, as much as I hate to say it, updates will not be coming any faster. Probably no more frequently than every two weeks. School starts in a couple of weeks, and since I'm a freshman and all, I can safely say you won't get more than one update during the month of September. I'll try to squeeze in one more before school starts, but no promises. Sorry guys.**

**Anyway, thanks to my reviewers for chapter 2: DaughterOfApollo120, yorkie999777000, Lara D., ahack6, and Anonymous Reviewer.**

**Anonymous Reviewer: Glad you enjoyed :) **

**And more thanks to the reviewers of Here With Me: Cerulean Apocalypse, yorkie999777000, Curlscat, Lara D, ahack6, Demigod 536, Alyss Grimm Goodfellow, and kimkikoxmamoru.**

**Demigod536: Thanks, it was a lot of fun to write!  
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**Alyss Grimm Goodfellow: Haha, well you never know :)**

**kimkikoxmamoru: Haha, thanks! Changing the lyrics was the fun part. **

**Seriously, I was shocked by the response to HWM. 8 reviews! You guys are awesome!  
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**And thanks again to my dearest beta, limegreenwordmachine. :D She's the reason anybody reads this story. **

**~ Evil Scrapbooker  
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Chapter 3: Empty?

Sabrina was too shocked to respond for a second. Then she came to her senses and grabbed the Vorpal Blade, darting out from behind the car. "Us? YOU! You're supposed to be in jail!"

Nottingham let his scarf slip down around his neck. He snarled and pulled out a dagger. "You idiotic Grimms. Do you really think anything can contain the Scarlet Hand?" The sheriff spat and advanced toward the three children.

Although he was trying hard to hide it, Sabrina detected a hint of worry in his voice._ He's scared. He's the one who can get turned in, not us. We have the upper hand here. _"The barrier seems to do a pretty good job of it."

"That's where you're wrong, precious child. Sadly, you're not going to live to find out why."

"You two get behind me, I'll handle this," Sabrina said, just as Puck said the exact same thing.

All three Grimms looked confused for a second, then they all shouted "No!" At the same time, of course.

"Sabrina, I can defend myself just fine!" Daphne pulled on her hood and struck her warrior pose, whipping out her magic kazoo, little ninja that she was. "I'm going to fight!"

"Grimm, do you know how long it's been since I've seriously injured or killed anybody?_ Too. LONG._" The fairy drew his wooden sword and began his signature buzz-around-annoyingly-and-hit-with-sword attack on Nottingham.

"We'll see about that," Nottingham said, right as Daphne kicked him in the shin. "Oof!" He snarled, brandishing his dagger and looking to give Daphne that scar after all, when Puck smacked him on the back of his head with the sword. "Augh!"

While he was off balance, Sabrina delivered a powerful kick to his stomach. He dropped his dagger, and hit the asphalt with a sickening thud accompanied with an even more sickening moan. She put one knee on his chest. "So, how exactly did you escape from jail?"

Nottingham wheezed, then smiled. "My dear, it's all in the power of the Scarlet Hand. We are too strong to be contained within any four walls. Or within any measly magical spell, for that matter. As the saying goes, we're back and better than ever. This time, we will not lose."

"Okay, buddy. Since you don't seem to want to answer my question, I'm left with two options. I could kill you now, or I could be kind and throw you back in jail where you belong."

Nottingham laughed, his eyes shining, and spit the blood that was beginning to sprout from his mouth at Sabrina, hitting her in the cheek. "Stupid, stupid little girl. What good would it do to kill me? There are so many of us, so many more. And we're all free. Killing me would set them on you faster than you could blink. And as for the jail . . . well, go ahead."

Disgusted and enraged, Sabrina gingerly wiped the bloody spit off her cheek with Puck's sleeve, despite his cries of revulsion. "That's it. You're dead." With that, she kicked the man in the head. _Not too hard, _she reminded herself. With a groan, Nottingham passed out.

Sabrina got up and turned around, only to find Puck and Daphne staring at her wide-eyed.

"Relax, guys! I didn't actually kill him! He'll just be out for a while." Sabrina rolled her eyes. _Do they honestly think I would kill anyone? I'm thirteen! Do I really come off as that violent?_

Both of them breathed an obvious sigh of relief.

"So," Puck said, crossing his arms. "Since you knocked our dear sheriff out and inflicted possibly fatal injuries, what do you propose we do with him now? I might be able to carry him, but it would slow us down. A lot. Plus, he's kinda bloody and gross, so I don't really wanna touch him . . . "

"Since when are you squeamish about gross things? Never mind," Sabrina said. "We have to get to the prison. Now. I don't know how he got out, but if he did, then it's not a stretch to think others might have escaped, too." The trio started towards the jailhouse, quickly and quietly.

Daphne pulled the hood of her sweatshirt up again and pulled out her kazoo. But even in the dark, Sabrina could see her eyes shining, and the palm of her hand went up to her mouth. Sabrina could guess why. As Granny would say, they were in the thick of it. There was nothing the little girl liked better than being knee-deep in a good mystery, and lately, mysteries had been few and far between.

Sabrina smiled down at Daphne. It had been a long time since her sister's palm-biting habit had made an appearance, and Sabrina found that she had missed it. Daphne wasn't growing up just yet. "Ready to solve another mystery?"

Daphne just stared at her sister. "You sound happy about it."

"Well, maybe I am. Is that so hard to believe?"

Daphne and Puck both came to an abrupt halt, dumbfounded and staring at Sabrina like she was from Neptune.

"What?"

"Sabrina Grimm, enthusiastic enemy to all that is exhilarating and the slightest bit dangerous, ardent adversary to all things resembling magic, the most reluctant, stubborn, block-headed Grimm ever born, is enjoying a mystery that's chock-full of excitement, hazard, and enchantment?" Puck gave her an overly dramatic look of disbelief.

Sabrina and Daphne, however, stared back at him with a just-as-dramatic but genuine look of disbelief. "Okay, I'm not even gonna try on that one," Daphne muttered after a minute.

"Where did you get a thesaurus?"

Puck scoffed. "The Trickster King does not use a thesaurus! I'm allergic to books, remember? I'm just naturally a genius."

"O-kay." Daphne turned to Sabrina. "Ignoring that, who are you, and what have you done with my sister?"

"Um . . . "

"Eh, doesn't matter. I like you better, whoever you are." Daphne smiled, and began running toward the jail. "Let's go scarify the pants off the Scarlet Hand!"

Sabrina grinned. One of their worst enemies had escaped from jail, delivered a prophecy of doom, and now the whole town was likely in danger, her family included.

So why was she so excited?

*/*/*

"What the heck!" Puck kicked the door to the locked Ferryport Landing Penitentiary and Police Department.

"You know," Sabrina said breezily. "No matter how many times do that, it's not going to open." She pulled the magical lock-picking kit that Mirror had given her so long ago. Exactly eleven seconds later, the door was wide open, padlock and chains lying neatly on the ground.

Puck stuck his tongue out at her. "Showoff."

"Really?_ You're _calling _me _a showoff? Ha, Puck, you are too funny!"

"I can't see a thing!" Daphne complained, feeling around for the light switch. When she finally found it, the explosion of brightness made Sabrina wince a little. However, it was not the sudden enlightenment that made Sabrina's jaw drop and her eyes blink several times, then widen to the size of small planets.

"Oh my smurf," Daphne said. "This place got whammified."

The Ferryport Landing Police Department and Penitentiary had once had a quaint little lobby, a nice, homey room that looked like it belonged in a doll house. It had a large leather sofa, some comfy chairs, and white endtables with magazines and cute little figurines on them. A huge bowl of candy usually sat on the big front desk, and pictures of fruit bowls hung on the wall.

Now, as Sabrina looked around, all she could think was, _Whammified is right._ The endtables and chairs had been overturned, their legs splintered and broken, magazines and broken glass strewn everywhere. Pictures had been broken, cute ballerina figurines had been shattered, and the big leather sofa was ripped up, stuffing bleeding out of it in many spots. The walls, which were painted a sunny pale yellow, had dagger marks, blood stains, and holes all over them, as if they'd been through a fight.

The damage even took Puck by surprise. "Whoa, what happened here? As much fun to make as this mess had to have been, I'm guessing this is probably a bad sign . . ."

A twist of sick panic burned through Sabrina's stomach. She felt a sort of indomitable dread building in the air, like a black funnel cloud about to become a tornado.

She glanced at her sister, and felt like she was going to throw up. For a split second, she saw the Daphne from her dream, red-eyed and reduced to one of the mindless slaves of the Master.

She was not going to let that happen. Not on her watch.

But sending her home wasn't an option. If Nottingham was free, who knew what else she could run into? She almost told Puck to fly Daphne home and leave her here, but she bit her lip. Neither of them would agree to that, and, as much as she hated to admit it, having the two of them for backup had saved her life countless times.

They would all have to stay and solve this together.

Sabrina sucked in her breath. She was going against every protective-big-sister instinct in her body.

But she didn't really have a choice.

"C'mon, guys," Sabrina said, through gritted teeth. "We're getting to the bottom of this. Try not to step in any broken glass."

Trying not to think too much about her decision, she started purposefully down the corridor that lead to the prisoners' quarters, dragging her sister and Puck behind her.

There were usually a good number of magic locks and passwords that would've stopped even the great Sabrina Grimm in her tracks, but every door had been obviously forced open and peppered with holes, dents, footprints, and occasionally blood. Just as they were about to round the final corner, Sabrina pulled Daphne and Puck close and whispered in their ears. "Be on your guard and have a weapon ready. Judging from the state of this place, anything could be around that corner."

"Yessir, Captain Grimm." Puck gave Sabrina a smirking salute. He pulled out his sword and a glop grenade. "Swords and firearms have been readied!"

Daphne pulled up her hood and put her kazoo at her lips, ready to blow at a moment's notice. "Got it."

"Alright," Sabrina whispered. "On the count of three, we turn the corner. One . . . Two . . . Three!"

The three children charged into the doorway, almost tripping over the dented steel doors that had been knocked off their hinges. They assumed their warrior positions, ready to meet any attackers. But their efforts were all for naught.

The large, many-celled room, once home to hundreds of Ferryport Landing's Most Wanted, was now completely empty.

**Yes, a cliffy. A small, very predictable cliffy, but a cliffy all the same. :) Next chapter is full of all kinds of plot complications, so it could be a while. Muahahaha. You will have to wait. :D  
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	4. Chapter 4: Gone

**Thanks for being patient with my terrible updating, guys :). Unfortunately, this chapter will probably only make you hate me more, due to its shortness and, yes, another cliffy! Yay!**

**Thanks to the lovely reviewers: RockstarGurl4444, Demigod536, Cool-Bean82, yorkie999777000, and the flaming ReViEwEr.**

**Demigod536: Glad you understand, haha. Thanks! :D**

**the flaming ReViEwEr: . . . wow. Well, I wasn't expecting that. I don't understand how you like this but not "Of Mirrors and Mayhem," but hey. I'm glad you like. And that's an interesting point about Nottingham, I never thought of that. Anyway, thanks!**

**Special thanks as always to limegreenwordmachine for beta-ing :)  
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**~ Evil Scrapbooker  
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Chapter 4:

"Holy guacamole." Puck's voice echoed eerily as he slowly lowered his wooden sword and glop grenade. "Jailbreak."

Jailbreak was an understatement. The prison looked like an abandoned war zone. The entire room, which had once been an impressive multi-story, hundred-cell, high security prison, was now a mass of twisted metal, dust, and blood. There was a gigantic, gaping hole in the wall, the thick bricks that were once deemed unbreakable strewn across the ground. Every cell's bars had been mangled and torn down.

Not a soul was left.

Sabrina, stunned, stumbled backwards as the full impact of the last hour or so hit her like a punch in the face. She would've fallen on her butt, quite hard, had Puck not managed to catch her awkwardly. "Watch it, Grimm!"

Sabrina didn't respond, and Puck stood there, uncomfortably supporting her. She could only stare at the ground.

This was exactly what she had suspected, some kind of huge, magical jailbreak. There shouldn't have been any surprise involved. So why did she feel like she'd been slapped?

Because now her worst nightmares could come true.

It seemed Daphne had been right. The dreams were most likely some kind of warning. It was too bizarre a chain of events to be a mere coincidence. The Scarlet Hand had escaped from jail, just as they had in her dream. So what was stopping the rest of the events from her nightmares from coming true? The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became that the dreams were visions of the future.

"Sabrina! Are you okay?" Daphne was suddenly at Sabrina's side, one hand on her sister's arm, eyes big with concern.

Sabrina, seeming to realize for the first time that Puck was holding her up and surprisingly putting up no fuss about it, quickly stood up on her own, stumbling a bit in the process. "Wha? Yeah. I'm fine. Perfectly okay."

Daphne frowned. "You're all pale. Are you sure?"

Sabrina studied her sister. The little girl's face had taken on a certain trembling quality, and was whiter than Sabrina had ever seen it. And she was worried about Sabrina? "Yes, Daphne, I'm fine. Just a little . . . surprised." She straightened.

_It's okay, everything's okay. You got this._

"We'd better look for clues," Daphne said, also seeming to try and take control of herself. She poked around a bit, and stared at a pool of blood.

"It's still wet." The little girl said haltingly, seemingly mesmerized by the red puddle.

"Um . . . yes. Excellent detective work, Marshmallow."

But Sabrina understood. "The blood hasn't dried yet. Blood dries really fast, especially when it's warm out like this. That means this probably just happened since we left the house.

"Well, yeah," Puck said. "How long do you think a hundred escaped prisoners could wander around a town as tiny as Ferryport landing without being noticed?"

He had a point.

"How did this even happen? I thought Mr. Swineheart kept round-the-clock guards and spells and stuff on the jail!" Daphne said, irritated.

Sabrina had no answer for her sister. It was true, only a few days ago Swineheart was boasting to the whole town about the increased security in the jail. And, judging from the amount of blood and general damage, the security team had not gone down without a fight.

The strangest thing was, the police department stood right smack in the middle of a residential part of town. Wouldn't someone have noticed a giant fight breaking out in the jail?

Sabrina blinked, realizing that Daphne and Puck were staring at her expectantly.

Daphne punched a fist. "Let's go kick some Scarlet Hand butt!"

No matter how tempting that sounded to Sabrina, she knew they couldn't. Running around half-cocked with no plan was a mistake she'd made far too many times and for which she'd paid far too large a price. "Nuh-uh, not again. This time, we're going to the adults for help.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Fine . . ."

Puck looked at Sabrina curiously. "Looks like dogface here has finally grown some small, mutilated form of a brain . . ."

"Oh, I wouldn't count on it. Now come on, fly us home. If anyone didn't already notice a mob of escaped Everafter criminals marching down main street, they're not gonna notice a flying kid carrying a couple of ninjas. "

"As you wish, milady," Puck said, scooping Sabrina and Daphne up.

"A second ago I was dogface. Now I'm Milady?"

"Of course."

Daphne smiled beneath her oversized hood. "I love you guys."

*/*/*

Sabrina had been unpleasantly surprised far too many times already that night. She liked to think of herself as a person who could handle anything life threw at her with a calm, balanced head, a person who wouldn't break even under the most extenuating circumstances. The dreams she'd been having for two weeks, running into Nottingham, finding the jail empty – the combination of them all made her a little wilted around the edges, but she was okay. She could handle it. But the shock waiting for her when she got home just pushed her over the edge.

The second the upstairs bedroom window on the far right came into focus, she felt like someone had dropped a bomb on her whole world.

Daphne face was, if possible, even whiter than it had been at the sight of the ruined prison. "Holy gravy. It's shattered."

The window of the room belonging to Briar and Jake's two-week-old baby, Ellie, had been smashed in, leaving sharp, triangular shards around the frame.

Sabrina, Daphne, and Puck flew through the frame, stomachs sinking.

Yes, Sabrina Grimm could put up with a lot, but when she saw Ellie's empty crib, with a red handprint stamped right on her little Winnie the Pooh bedspread, she lost her grip. And her temper.

It seemed the newly escaped Scarlet Hand had gotten right down to business.

And the newest member of the Grimm family had been the first victim.


	5. AN: You guys are gonna hate me

*dodges tomatoes, large rocks, and small children thrown at her by the readers*

I'M SORRY.

It's been over a month since I last updated, and here I am, having the nerve to sit here and still postpone putting the next chapter up. Which I am actually almost finished with. SORT OF.

Okay, so I know everyone uses school as their excuse, and that I have several times already, but the thing is, it's true. I'm up until at least midnight every school night, and up at 5 the next morning (Honors Bio is gonna KILL me - _ -). My weekends are packed with the 20 service hours I need to get by Christmas, and I have sports every day for 2 hours after school. Needless to say, I have very little time to write. And when I have little time to write, I rush and write as much as I can and get it to my beta and up ASAP. Then I look at it a few weeks later and see a million things I could've done to make it better. Which is why, even though I'm almost done with chapter 5, it won't be up for a while. I want to give it a chance to sink in. So, I am promising myself that I won't put up the next chapter until December 17th, which is when my Christmas break starts. After service hours, after midterms, after track. Not only will this give me time to look over my work a while after I've written it and hopefully improve its quality, but it will also make me update faster (again, hopefully) after December 17th, because I plan on having a good number of chapters written by then.

So I guess you could say I'm going on a little bit of a hiatus. That doesn't mean from fanfiction altogether, only this story. I'll probably write a couple oneshots, if I can think of any. Right now I'm kinda out of ideas. If you have an idea for a oneshot you want me to do, review or PM me.

Sorry again, guys. :( Looking back, this was a pretty pointless A/N, and it probably made you pretty mad at me cuz I left you with a cliffy and all, but I felt like I had to write it. If anyone still bothers to read this story by the time I come back, I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER.

~Evil Scrapbooker


	6. Chapter 5: Into the Rabbithole

**So guys, it's official. I'm a terrible updater who can't keep her promises. *hangs head in shame* This probably means the whole EpicFic thing isn't gonna happen.**

**In other news, I just put up a beta profile. I would really love to beta for someone, and I promise I'd be so much faster at that than I am at writing. Sooo if you're looking for a beta, I would love to help you with that.  
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**Thanks to the reviewers of chapter 4: yorkie999777000, the flaming reViEwEr**

**And to the reviewers of The Tragedy of Us: yorkie99977700, RockstarGurl444, Alexie122, curlscat, The Mystery Keeper, M.J, Demigod536, Rosemary, and neon blue space**

**Alexie122: Why thank you :)**

**M.J: I know, haha. But that's why I love them.**

**Demigod536: Wow! thanks so much! Your review really made me happy.**

**Rosemary: That means a lot, thanks!**

**neon blue space: Huh, I never thought of it that way, but I can see that now! Interesting. Thanks!  
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**Thanks to limegreenwordmachine once again for betaing.**

**And thanks to all you guys for being patient and sticking around! You don't know how much it means to me.**

**~ Evil Scrapbooker**

**P.S. This chapter is kinda dense and not really that entertaining, but unfortunately, it's necessary. Sorry, guys :(  
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Chapter 5: Into the Rabbit-hole

His first thought: Pain. His head throbbed. His ribs burned. His legs felt they'd been frozen, then boiled.

Second thought: Confusion. Why was he hurting all over, lying in the street, staring up at the underside of a car?

Then comprehension dawned. For a fleeting moment, he was a little angry. But, remembering the reward that was coming, the freedom that would make every bit of sorrow worthwhile, Nottingham regained his composure and the smile returned to his face.

He pulled himself out from under the car, the morning sun blinding him as he did. He brushed himself off as a boy of about five or six playing with a toy truck in his nearby front lawn gaped at him. He grinned at the little boy. The child looked about to burst into tears and ran into his house, slamming the door behind him. Ah, how Nottingham had missed his freedom.

He made his way through the backroads of the town, staying mostly out of sight, and eventually deep into the woods for which Ferryport Landing was so well known. The forest had an even more enchanted feeling than usual. It had been so long since Nottingham had seen anything of nature.

He traveled deeper and deeper into the woods, until he came upon a tree. It wasn't a very special tree; it was of average size and shape, its bark as black and its roots as gnarled as any of the others. But as he touched this tree, the bright red, hand-shaped scar on his chest tingled and glowed eerily, a warmth forming in his chest and spreading throughout his whole body. He was filled from head to toe with an irresistible yearning.

A handprint identical to the one branded on his chest glowed on the trunk of the tree, and the ground opened beneath him. Soon he was falling, falling into absolute blackness. Although the plummet lasted for at least five minutes and increased until it hit terminal velocity, he was not afraid. In fact, the farther he fell, the more calm he became. The calmness became serenity, and the serenity eventually became drowsiness.

Finally, just as he was about to drift into a state of complete subconsciousness, he hit the ground with a thud. He didn't feel a thing.

The inside of the hole strongly resembled Wonderland. Nottingham found himself standing in an odd forest of strangely shaped and colored trees and shrubs. In a clearing was a huge tree stump, surrounded by thousands of Everafters. Nottingham recognized most of them as fellow well-respected members of the Hand, and not only the ones who lived in Ferryport Landing. Members of the Hand from all over the world had congregated in Ferryport Landing.

The Black Knight, an excellent example himself, rose on the tree stump that served as a stage, carrying a microphone with one hand. In his other arm was a tiny baby, wrapped in a gold blanket. The entire congregation seemed to draw in their breath. Although his senses and emotions were still foggy and vague, Nottingham felt his jaw drop open. It couldn't be . . . It wasn't . . .

The Black Knight cleared his throat, even though there was really no need to do so, as everyone was already perfectly silent. He laughed a little. "Well, I see some of you recognize this child. But for those of you still confused, I have some of the last words of our dearly departed Master himself. Perhaps this will shed a bit of light on the situation."

He deposited the child in a golden crib lined with velvet. Nottingham's eyes, along with many others, followed the little bundle of joy that would save them all.

And the Black Knight began to read the last words the Master had ever written to them.

_ "My dearest Scarlet Hand:_

_ If you're reading this, then I am no longer there to guide you. If you follow my instructions, this will not be a problem much longer._

_ First and foremost, since I am gone, it is likely that we did not succeed. This, while a minor disappointment, will not matter in the long run. My loyal supporters in Ferryport Landing were probably overcome and imprisoned. For this, I offer my most sincere apologies. Again, though, it will not be a problem much longer._

_ To my numerous supporters outside of our quaint little town: I know this will be hard for you. You were so lucky to get out, to have the freedom for which we all yearn. However, I must ask you to return to Ferryport Landing, thus trapping you inside the barrier. This may be annoying, but again, it will not matter in the end. Our tiny town is far more charming than you may think. And it is necessary for us to form one united force. Led by my close personal associate, the Black Knight, you will free the members who are trapped in jail when the time is right. I know I can count on you to work for the greater good. Together, united, strong, we will be unstoppable._

_ You all deserve at least a bit of an explanation for the great sacrifice I am asking of you. It is complicated, but I will give you the gist of it._

_ I am sure you are all aware of the relationship between Briar Rose and Jacob Grimm. Unless I am sorely mistaken, they are married now. While Jacob Grimm was once a close personal friend of mine, and their little love story makes one quite prone to tears, I am not particularly sorry for the pain we will cause them. Because, while their sacrifice will be great, it will be our saving grace. You owe them a tremendous debt. _

_ It is prophesized that Briar and Jacob will have a child, a daughter. And she will be a paradox. She will be both Everafter and Grimm. This means one of two things. Either she will be unable to leave the barrier, trapping us forever, unless we kill them all, and as powerless as a regular human. Or, she will be quite the opposite. She will be the first Everafter in history able to leave this little town, and have the most raw, natural magic inside her than the world has ever seen. She will be the pinnacle of our very existence, the convergence of the two most powerful lines in history. And only she will set us free. _

_ You will know if she will be our savior. When she is born, you will feel it._

_ Leaving the barrier will not be the greatest of her abilities. She will have the gift of her aunt, Veronica, and her cousin, Sabrina. She will be an able resting place for spirits. Only she will have enough natural magic to host my spirit. She will not have the power to bring me back to life, but I will be able to speak through her. And that is key for my eventual resurrection. _

_ I regret it, but the child must be taken from her home as an infant. She will not have the power to host me right away. You will have to supply activation magic for her to call me back before she can host me. You will gather the strongest magical possessions from all over the world. Even after that, you may need additional magic. For that, I suggest you enlist the help of Baba Yaga and the Blue Fairy. They may seem a bit unwilling at first, but I can guarantee that they will come around with time and a little insanity, if you understand what I mean. After my spirit has inhabited the child's body, I will instruct you further. _

_ This is your final chance for freedom, friends. Use it wisely._

_ ~the Master."_

The whole congregation stood in silence for a full minute. Despite the thick, dreamy state the rabbit-hole world had them in, they still looked shocked and amazed at the plan that was set out for them.

The Black Knight smiled. "So you now know of the Master's genius. Our next step, now that we have the child"-he gestured to the crib- "is to harvest as much magic as possible. I believe that, to accomplish this, we must first enlist the help of Baba Yaga and Blue Fairy."

The crowd broke out in whispers and mutters, their emotions slowly overpowering the dream-world's fogginess.

"So," The Black Knight said, quite loudly. "I believe a bit of insanity is in order." He snapped his fingers. The Cheshire Cat appeared. He was carrying a tiny baby food jar, which was swirling with greenish clouds. As he placed it in the Black Knight's open palm, it shuddered and bounced. Nottingham couldn't help but feel that there was a dangerous spirit trapped in there, a spirit that wanted to be free.

"Nottingham! Heart!" Hearing his name, Nottingham wandered up to the large tree stump, Heart by his side.

"These two" – the Black Knight gestured to Nottingham and Heart- "will be responsible for the conversion of the two most powerful witches in the world."

Silence. The entire congregation fell completely silent, seemingly thanking their lucky stars that they weren't chosen.

Nottingham felt his heart sink into his stomach.


	7. Chapter 7

Ugh, I feel like such a wimp.

I'm sorry to say this, but I think I'm going to have to discontinue this story, or at least go on a REALLY long hiatus. As someone with serious commitment issues, I'm a big believer in the fact that in order to finish a story, you kind of have to fall in love with the idea so much that you HAVE to write it. That never really happened for this story for me. Honestly, I'm just not feeling it anymore, or even really the whole fanfiction thing in general. I'd really like to just focus all my time right now on my story for Camp Nanowrimo.

All the support I've gotten from this story has been absolutely amazing, and I feel so bad for having to do this to everyone who liked it. Thank you all so much for everything. If anyone decides they like it SO much they want to adopt it, I have a tentative/ vague plot outline I can send along.

Thanks for understanding.

~Evil Scrapbooker


End file.
